Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imaginer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb imaginer

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The English translation of the French verb imaginer is “to imagine.” It is pronounced as “ee-mah-zhee-nay.”

The verb imaginer comes from the Latin word “imaginare” which means “to form an image of.” It is most often used in everyday French to express the action of creating or visualizing something in one’s mind.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, imaginer is used to talk about a past action that was completed before another past action. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle of imaginer.

Examples:
1) J’avais imaginé le scénario avant de le présenter à l’équipe. (I had imagined the scenario before presenting it to the team.)
2) Elle m’avait imaginé une vie de rêve, mais la réalité était bien différente. (She had imagined a dream life for me, but the reality was very different.)
3) Nous avions imaginé que le voyage serait plus facile, mais nous avons eu beaucoup de problèmes. (We had imagined that the trip would be easier, but we encountered a lot of problems.)

Table of the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of imaginer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais imaginé J’avais imaginé un monde meilleur. I had imagined a better world.
tu tu avais imaginé Tu avais imaginé une histoire fantastique. You had imagined a fantastic story.
il il avait imaginé Il avait imaginé une solution. He had imagined a solution.
elle elle avait imaginé Elle avait imaginé ses vacances d’été. She had imagined her summer vacation.
on on avait imaginé On avait imaginé un plan. One had imagined a plan.
nous nous avions imaginé Nous avions imaginé une pièce de théâtre. We had imagined a play.
vous vous aviez imaginé Vous aviez imaginé un voyage. You had imagined a trip.
ils ils avaient imaginé Ils avaient imaginé un avenir meilleur. They had imagined a better future.
elles elles avaient imaginé Elles avaient imaginé un scénario. They had imagined a scenario.

Other Conjugations for Imaginer.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb imaginer
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imaginer
   

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imaginer
   

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imaginer
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imaginer
   

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imaginer
   

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imaginer     (this article)

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imaginer

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imaginer

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imaginer

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imaginer
   

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imaginer

    Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imaginer
   

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imaginer
   

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imaginer

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imaginer

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb imaginer

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Imaginer – About the French Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense

The French “plus-que-parfait” tense is a past tense used to express actions or events that occurred before another past action or event. It is often translated to English as the “pluperfect” tense. The name “plus-que-parfait” literally means “more than perfect,” indicating that it is a tense used to describe actions that were completed before a specific point in the past.
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Tense Formation

To form the plus-que-parfait tense, you typically use the auxiliary verb “avoir” (to have) or “être” (to be) in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. Here are the conjugations for both auxiliary verbs:
1. With “avoir” as the auxiliary verb:
   – J’avais mangé (I had eaten)
   – Tu avais parlé (You had spoken)
   – Il/elle/on avait fini (He/She/One had finished)
   – Nous avions lu (We had read)
   – Vous aviez choisi (You had chosen)
   – Ils/elles avaient joué (They had played)
2. With “être” as the auxiliary verb (usually for intransitive verbs or verbs indicating a state):
   – J’étais parti(e) (I had left)
   – Tu étais arrivé(e) (You had arrived)
   – Il/elle/on était tombé(e) (He/She/One had fallen)
   – Nous étions resté(e)s (We had stayed)
   – Vous étiez né(e)(s) (You had been born)
   – Ils/elles étaient monté(e)s (They had gone up)

Common everyday usage patterns

Sequencing of past events

The plus-que-parfait is used to express a past action that happened before another past action. For example, “J’avais mangé avant qu’il ne soit arrivé” (I had eaten before he arrived).

Background information

It is also used to provide background information or set the stage for a main past event. For instance, “Quand je suis arrivé, ils avaient déjà fini de manger” (When I arrived, they had already finished eating).

Hypothetical or reported speech

In indirect speech, the plus-que-parfait is used to report what someone had said or thought in the past. For example, “Il avait dit qu’il viendrait demain” (He had said that he would come tomorrow).

Interactions with other tenses

– The plus-que-parfait is often used in conjunction with the passé composé (simple past) to establish the sequence of past events. The passé composé describes the more recent action, while the plus-que-parfait describes the action that occurred earlier.
– It can also be used with the conditional mood to express a hypothetical past event, like “Si j’avais su, j’aurais agi différemment” (If I had known, I would have acted differently).
– When used in reported speech, it can be combined with the conditional mood or the imperfect subjunctive to reflect the original mood and tense of the reported statement.

Summary

The French plus-que-parfait tense is an essential part of the language for expressing past actions that occurred before other past actions, providing background information, and reporting past statements or thoughts. It is an integral component of constructing complex and accurate narratives in French.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb imaginer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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